MQM-P leader says decentralisation is needed to address governance failures and bring basic services closer to citizens.
Senior MQM-Pakistan leader and Federal Minister for Health Mustafa Kamal has called for the creation of new administrative units, arguing that Pakistan’s existing governance structure has failed to adequately address citizens’ needs.
Speaking at a public outreach rally in Korangi Town, Kamal said growing public frustration, instability and anti-state sentiment were linked to weaknesses in the current system of governance. He argued that greater decentralisation could help improve access to public services and strengthen accountability at the grassroots level.
Kamal criticised provincial governments for what he described as the misuse of autonomy and resources under the 18th Constitutional Amendment. The amendment, passed in 2010, significantly expanded provincial autonomy and devolved several areas of governance to the provinces.
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According to Kamal, the concentration of political and economic power has left ordinary citizens struggling to access basic services. He alleged that the existing structure has allowed provincial elites to control resources while communities at the grassroots remain neglected.
He said governance-related grievances had accumulated over decades and argued that the current political arrangement was contributing to tensions between citizens and state institutions.
Kamal said breaking what he described as the political monopoly of four chief ministers through the creation of smaller administrative units was necessary for Pakistan’s future. He called for a system in which decision-making authority, public services and resources could reach communities more directly.
The MQM-P leader also highlighted several problems in Karachi, including children falling into uncovered drains, stray dog attacks, deaths involving heavy dumpers and street crime. He also raised allegations concerning healthcare facilities, including claims of unsafe practices in government hospitals, and criticised the use of allegedly fake domicile certificates that he said deprived local young people of employment opportunities.
Kamal said educated young people were increasingly being pushed towards gig-economy work, including delivery services, because of limited employment opportunities.
He urged working-class and marginalised communities across Pakistan’s four provinces to unite behind the demand for decentralised administrative units. According to him, bringing political authority closer to citizens could improve access to security, justice, education, healthcare and other basic rights.
The debate over decentralisation and provincial autonomy remains part of Pakistan’s broader constitutional and political discussion. The National Assembly records the 18th Amendment as having been passed by Parliament in April 2010 and assented to by the president later that month.
